Rescue
by RoslinSharp
Summary: Being a superhero isn't as easy as it looks, especially when you're dating one of the world's top assassins.


"Okay Pepper, I want you to close your eyes and take a deep breath."

She lay back on the couch in her office and shut her eyes.

"Now, I want you to imagine a jar and fill it with all the negativity in your life; Tony, Stark Industries...that, uh, horrible salad you had for lunch. Then I want you to picture yourself on top of a white, fluffy cloud and just-"

"Bruce, what are you doing?"

Pepper sat up on the couch and crossed her arms, glaring in her friend's direction.

The scientist ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair and sighed in frustration.

"It's exactly as I said, Pepper, the anger thing wasn't working out for you, so we're trying some basic meditation techniques-"

"Bruce, I know what you said! I'm just wondering why I heard this therapy technique, word for word, on the movie we watched on the plane home last night."

Bruce plopped himself down on the couch next to Pepper and hung his head in shame.

"You're right. I just don't know what to do anymore, Pepper. Staying angry only seems to make Extremis flare up. I hate to say it, but maybe you should see a Shield psychiatrist- Pepper, look out!

Pepper moved just in time to escape the brunt of Happy's fire extinguisher. Bruce wasn't so lucky.

"Happy, what the-"

Her head of security looked abashed.

"I looked through the glass and saw your eyes were glowing orange. I'm the head of security, it's my job to make sure this place doesn't explode."

"Actually Happy, you probably saw the glare from the desk lamp."

Bruce pointed in the direction of the hideous object, a present from Tony that Pepper hadn't had the heart to get rid of.

Pepper turned in the direction of her scientist friend, covered from head to toe in icky, flame-resistant chemicals.

"Oh god Bruce, I'm so sorry! There's a shower on the 3rd floor, let me walk you down. I'll have the secretaries bring you a fresh change of clothes."

"No, that's okay Pepper. Trust me, I've been through much worse. Besides, I need to be heading home, anyhow."

Bruce headed out of the office, almost colliding with Pepper's head secretary on his way out.

"Miss Potts, your 5:00 is here."

"5:00? Karen, you know I normally leave the office at 4:30. Why would you schedule someone for 5?"

The other woman wrung her hands in frustration. "I don't know, Miss Potts. It just popped up on your itinerary. I was going to ask one of the other ladies, then Ms. Rushman showed up and..."

A familiar-looking redhead walked into the room.

"Natasha!" Pepper said in surprise. "Are you looking for Tony, he took off for Latveria a few weeks ago and I haven't seen him since."

"A few weeks?" Natasha replied in confusion. "Last time I checked you two were inseparable."

"They're on a break," Happy said.

"No," Pepper corrected, "we broke up...permanently."

An awkward pause followed, interrupted by Happy saying, "Miss Romanoff, we require all visitors to wear a guest badge...but it doesn't look they gave you one."

Pepper rolled her eyes at Happy's not too subtle glances at Natasha's body.

"You know what Happy, why don't you get Natasha a badge."

Happy looked hesitant.

"Are you sure Pepper," he whispered loudly, "I've seen that woman fight before. You could be in real danger."

"Yes Happy, I'm sure." Pepper all but shoved her head of security out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"So, what can I help you with Agent Romanoff?"

"It's Extremis, Fury wants me to take you in for a medical exam to make sure you're stable."

Pepper threw up her hands in exasperation. "What are you talking about? You guys gave me a medal for taking out Killian and now you want to take me in for testing?"

Natasha nodded. "It's the rest of Killian's team. We've had a few incidents in lockdown. Shield just wants to be sure you won't explode on us."

"And what if I don't want to come with you, Natasha?"

Natasha gently placed her hand on Pepper's shoulder. "Come on, you haven't had a serious incident in months. You'll be out of there in no time. Just don't take any more anger management advice from Bruce Banner. That 'I'm always angry' thing really doesn't make sense."

Pepper couldn't help but laugh. "No, it doesn't make any sense at all. Let me get my coat, Natasha, and we'll be on our way."

….

Truth be told, Pepper had always been a little bit attracted to Natalie Rushman, aka Natasha Romanoff. Of course, it had been bad timing. They had met when she was falling head over heels for Tony, who was also dying and hadn't bothered to tell her. Then, Ivan Vanko had turned the Expo into a nightmare of terror, Natalie had revealed herself to be a Shield agent, and...before Pepper knew it, she and Tony were a couple and Natasha had slipped back into the shadows.

"You're all clear to go, Ms. Potts."

Dr. Stretian pulled up the medical table Pepper lay on, interrupting her train of thought.

"I want to see you again in three months, young lady."

"Make that six, Jack." Natasha Romanoff crept out of the shadows, a small smile on her lips.

Dr. Stretian glanced at the redhaired spy in annoyance. "Agent Romanoff, I wasn't aware you were cleared to make medical decisions."

"I'm not Jack, but I think a woman who can keep her cool running Stark Industries while dating Tony Stark is highly unlikely to go nova on us, Doc." She winked in Pepper's direction.

Their argument was interrupted by the chirp of Natasha's comm.

"Agent Romanoff?" A nervous female voice emanated from Natasha's sleeve cuff.

Natasha tapped her comm. "Go ahead."

"We have a code 3 out of San Francisco. The Wrecking Crew is back."

"Got it, did you page Barton?"

"Actually, we've been unable to get ahold of him, ma'am."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Have you tried paging Bobby Morse?"

"Negative ma'am. Let me check."

A short pause ensued followed by..."No ma'am, it appears that they both do not have have their comms."

"Damn lovebirds," Natasha muttered.

"Okay, Agent Foster, it looks like I'm gonna need a swat team at my disposal...actually, negative that." Natasha turned in Pepper's direction, "Ever thought of putting those powers of yours to good use?"

Pepper looked at Natasha like the Shield agent had grown an extra head. "Are you crazy? What's the Wrecking crew?"

"A bunch of low-life thugs with a lot of brawn and no brain power. No worries, we'll have them out in five seconds flat."

"Natasha, there is no way you could possibly convince me to-"

…

"That. Was. Amazing." Pepper exclaimed as she downed her sixth glass of vodka.

Natasha only smiled in agreement.

"I mean it was violent and messy, but all I had to do was throw out a little firepower and those guys ran away in terror. It just felt so good."

"What did I tell you," Natasha replied, "I knew those morons would be afraid of fire. Oh look, here comes trouble."

Pepper turned to see Agent Barton charging towards them.

"Natasha, what in the blazes were you thinking? You took a civilian into a hostile situation!"

"Clint, she's hardly a civilian and she packs more firepower than you do."

"It doesn't matter what she is Tasha, she's not cleared for combat duty! She's Tony Stark's girlfriend for crying out loud!"

"Excuse me," Pepper interjected, "first of all, my name is Pepper Potts, not **she, **and Tony and I broke up two months ago. Also, if you've heard anything about Extremis, you know I am more than capable of handling myself in a crisis."

"And," Natasha chimed in, "if you and Mockingbird hadn't turned off your comms, this never would have happened. Hey, I'm the one who vouched for you two after Fury wanted to ship Bobbi off to Switzerland.

Barton waved his hands in frustration.

"Okay, you're right. Bobbi and I shouldn't have done that to you, it was selfish and irresponsible. However, that doesn't excuse what you did, Tasha. Fury's going to have both our asses handed to us tomorrow."

A beep sounded from Clint's left pocket. "Or maybe he'll do it tonight. Excuse me ladies, I need to take this call."

"He calls you Tasha," Pepper said, trying to hide the tinge of jealousy in her voice. "You must be pretty close."

Natasha shrugged. "We go back aways, Clint's like the little brother I never had."

Clint walked back over with a befuddled look on his face. "That was Hill. She's really impressed with the way you handled the Wreckers, Ms. Potts. Actually, she wants to talk to you tomorrow about becoming a part-time Shield agent."

Pepper stared at the archer, stunned. "What...what does that mean?"

"It means," Natasha said, "that we need to celebrate some more. Come on Clint, I'll buy you a drink."

….

"I can't believe Extremis won't let get drunk," Pepper said laughing, "eight vodkas and I don't feel a buzz. What's your excuse?"

"I'm Russian," Natasha replied dryly as she flipped on the lightswitch.

Pepper stared around at the tiny room devoid of any decoration. Bedroom, kitchen, and living room all in one. "This is where you live?"

"More like where I crash when I'm in between missions." Natasha sat down on what passed for a couch in her spartan apartment and beckoned Pepper to sit beside her.

"So tell me," Natasha asked after Pepper had been comfortably seated, "what happened with you and Stark?"

Pepper closed her eyes and laid her head back on the faux leather sofa. "I spent 15 years of my life with Tony, most of it as his nanny/personal assistant. The man could barely tie his shoes without me. I mean, he changed when he came back from Afghanistan and...we...we loved each other. We really did. It's just that everything was about him, even the gifts he gave me, blowing up all his suits were only things he thought I wanted. After what Aldrich Kilian did to me, Tony tried to fix me. He wanted us to go live a normal life, like that's ever possible with Tony." Pepper snorted. "I just needed to something for myself, to be apart from him...and it was over between us."

"And what is that you want, Pepper?"

Pepper leaned over and kissed Natasha, pulling her into a passionate embrace. She relished the feel of the other woman's body against hers, the taste of vodka on her lips. Then she remembered and pulled away in horror. "Oh, I'm so sorry. We can't do this Natasha, I could burn you to death. I wouldn't let Tony touch me after-"

Natasha laid a finger on Pepper's lips and pulled her back. "Don't worry Ms. Potts, I can handle a little heat."

….

**Six Months Later**

"I can't believe I let you two talk me into this," Pepper exclaimed as she sludged through the snow in her new flame-resistant jumpsuit.

"Tasha would have owed me fifty bucks if she hadn't persuaded you to tag along." Clint replied from over the comm.

Pepper stared at her girlfriend in disbelief. "Seriously, is this a joke? How old are you two?"

They really were like a pair of bickering siblings.

"I never joke, Pepper, unless my cover requires it. Clint did offer to make a bet, but I turned him down. I didn't need an extra incentive to talk you into this. I knew you were ready." Natasha was back in her Shield persona, as cool and impassive as ever.

"Don't worry Pepper, it's just an army of ninjas." Clint said, once again communicating over the comm.

Pepper wondered where Clint Barton had settled himself this time, along the rough Tibetan landscape. Perhaps he was sitting on top of a mountaintop. The man seemed to be allergic to the ground. It was fitting that he was engaged to a woman codenamed Mockingbird.

"Actually, they're called the Hand, as you would know if you had done your homework, Hawkeye. They're a professional league of assassins and mercenaries, whose history stretches back 800 years."

"That still sounds like ninjas, Tasha," Clint replied from overhead.

"Sounds like a great way to spend my Sunday afternoon," Pepper already regretted coming along.

"Relax, Pepper." Natasha pulled Pepper into an embrace. "Reports tell us there are only about fifty to one hundred of them posted at this station and you're practically invulnerable. All we need to do is sweep in, grab whatever Phase II technology they've gotten their hands on, and we'll be off. Piece of cake."

Natasha was anything but reassuring.

"Hey ladies, mind keeping it in your pants for now? I promise to let you two back on the Love Boat as soon as we're done."

"Does he need his mouth to shoot arrows?" Pepper queried "Stark Industries invented this wonderful form of superglue that might do wonders for our friend up there."

…

The air was full of smoke and flying arrows. Pepper ducked for cover, wondering the for thousandth time why she'd agreed to come along. Natasha had stormed the front entrance, taking out assassins to the left and right of her. Pepper had gone for the box, with Clint shooting her arrows at anyone who came after her.

The box was in her sight now, emanating an other-worldly blue glow.

"Watch out, Pep, you've got one on your tail." Barton sounded over the commlink.

Pepper turned to see a guard running towards her. She easily opened her mouth and blew a stream of flames in his direction. The assassin fell to the ground, screaming.

"Got it Clint," Pepper yelled as she moved to pick up the box.

A moan from the back of the room distracted her, followed by a string of words in a foreign tongue. Pepper held up her still glowing hands to make out the silhouette of a cage.

Natasha had taught her that curiosity was a dangerous thing in the field, but Pepper's gut instincts told her she had to investigate.

Moving closer, she saw a man in chains inside the cage. He shouted at her again in his language.

Pepper stared at the man, horrified. "Don't worry, we're here to help." She hoped the man would get the gist of her intentions through her tone of voice.

Pepper stepped closer, hoping she could melt the locks on the cage without hurting the prisoner, when she saw another row of cages behind him. Most of them were empty, but a few held more captives like the man in front of her.

"Pepper," Natasha yelled from over the comm, "the place is clear, it's time to get out of here. Clint's going to throw us a line."

"Negative," Pepper replied, "there are civilians trapped back here. We need to get them to safety."

"No time, Pepper." This time Natasha was behind her. "Hawkeye's got this place rigged to blow. We need to leave **now."**

** "**Absolutely not! I'm not leaving until these people are freed." Pepper turned her back to Natasha and headed back towards the cages.

"Damn it Pepper, I hate to do it this to you."

"Do what-"

Natasha grabbed Pepper and the box from behind and grabbed ahold of a rope. They swung through the air as the building erupted behind them.

….

"You're lucky I didn't burn you to death," Pepper said as she bandaged Natasha's bloody and blistered hands.

It was the first time she had spoken since the three of them had arrived on the plane a scant hour ago.

Natasha merely nodded with an odd expression on her face. Was it disappointment or guilt? Pepper couldn't tell.

It was Clint who finally broke the ice.

"We can't save everyone, Pepper, it's one of the hardest parts of being a Shield agent. The point is that we've saved countless more lives by bringing this back to Shield." He pointed at the box sitting right outside the cockpit.

Pepper threw her hands up in the air. "Oh spare me the patronizing lecture, Clint! Neither of you had plans to save anyone. Even the members of The Hand we took out deserved a fair trial. I was so naïve," she laughed, "to think working for Shield would actually help people, save lives. I'm out, but not before I personally see that **thing **destroyed."

Pepper stormed back to Natasha to finish bandaging her wounds, only to gasp in shock. Natasha's hands were completely healed, as if she had never grabbed Pepper when she was radiating heat.

"How," was all Pepper managed to blurt out.

"You're right," Natasha said, "we're spies and assassins, not saviors. It was a mistake to bring you along."

…

The clock read 4am and Pepper still hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, just like the previous two nights. Every time Pepper closed her eyes, she saw fire and smoke, right next to the faces of the people she hadn't been able to save.

"I've forgotten what's it like to be innocent."

Pepper jumped, nearly knocking over the lamp on her nightstand. A familiar silhouette was sitting on the edge of her bed. "Natasha, what the hell are you doing here?"

The other woman ignored her, continuing with her monologue. "I was just a child when my parents died and they took me in. They told experimented on me and told me I was going to be a hero to my country. They didn't tell me they were going to turn me into a killer."

"Who took you in? What-What are you talking about?"

Pepper switched on the light, so she could talk to Natasha face to face. "They called it the Red Room, a secret division of the KGB designed to create the perfect soldiers for mother Russia. They took children, mostly girls, had them genetically modified, and conditioned them to be the perfect soldiers."

Pepper had never seen Natasha look so emotional, so...distraught. It was like someone had opened the floodgates and she was meeting the real Natasha for the first time. Part of Pepper wanted to take Natasha in her arms and rock her like a child. Then she remembered Tibet and anger resurfaced.

"Okay, so you're the Russian equivalent of Steve Rogers, that explains why you healed so quickly on the plane. But, if you were raised by the KGB, how did you come to work for SHIELD?"

Natasha looked hesitant, but she continued on. "After the USSR dissolved and the walls fell, my branch of the secret service ceased to exist. I spent years wandering the world doing whatever I felt like, taking odd jobs here and there. Some of them were simple; assassinations, robberies. Others..well, let's just say they were on a much grander scale. SHIELD sent Barton to take me out, instead he took me back to headquarters and made me his partner."

This was all getting too much for Pepper to handle. She walked into the kitchen to get a drink, knowing Natasha would follow her. "The USSR broke up in 1991," Pepper said as she pulled a bottle of bourbon from the cabinet and poured herself and Natasha a drink, "that was 22 years ago. How old are you?"

The ghost of a smile passed Natasha's lips as she took a sip from her glass. "The same modified gene that heals me also slows down the aging process."

That was it. Pepper put her drink down, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Okay, so you have even more in common with Steve than I thought. Why are you telling me all this, Natasha? Actually, let's start from the beginning, Why did you break into my apartment in the middle of the night?"

Natasha leaned closer, laying a hand on Pepper's shoulder. "In all my years, I've never been with someone so pure, so innocent. I always thought I was immune when it came to matters of the heart, you've shown me I was wrong. And now, I've dragged you into my world. You were right Pepper, we shouldn't have blown up that building, we should have saved those people. I've just grown so used to not caring that I didn't even think."

With that Natasha, drew Pepper into a passionate kiss.

It was like free-falling, like being swept away by a warm breeze. For a moment, everything was Natasha Romanoff and nothing else mattered.

Pepper drew away and turned her back to her lover. "Natasha, I'm sorry, but I just can't. This is just all too much. I have a board meeting in two hours. I need you to leave."

Pepper turned around and Natasha was gone. A nearly-full glass of bourbon on the kitchen table was all that remained of her late-night visitor.

….

Had Natasha Romanoff been as much a mistake as Tony Stark? Pepper got a migraine every time she considered the question. She had loved both of them, but they had both been wrong for her...at least that's what she kept telling herself...

"I'm sorry, Ms. Potts, but you have a phone call on line one."

Pepper nodded at Karen. "Tell them to leave a message, I'm busy."

"Actually it's Dr. Banner, ma'am. He says it's urgent."

Sighing, Pepper picked up the phone. "What's up, Bruce...and why do sound like you're in the middle of a warzone?"

"Pepper, I'm in Minneapolis. We need you to get down here right now, we're being attacked by a pack of highly-weaponized robots."

"You're what-?"

"Long story short, this man named Dr. Doom kidnapped Tony and forced him to design these things."

"What do you mean, forced? I just had a video conference with Tony and Victor last week. They were happy and smiling at me."

"That's because Doom brainwashed him! Pepper, we don't have time to talk. The rest of us are doing their best to hold these things at bay and I'm about to suit up the other guy, but we need more help. Clint's already sent a SHIELD helicopter to pick you up."

So much for a quiet night at home.

"Okay, Bruce. I'm on my way."

….

Seeing Bruce as the Hulk on video was one thing, actually watching his "other guy" smash robots apart was a different thing entirely.

"Wow," Pepper said to Steve Rogers, "it looks like you've done most of the work without me."

"Not quite ma'am, there are still quite a few out there. You and I will take care of the civilians, make sure they're safe, while the others stay out here on the-"

One of the robots came racing towards them. Pepper did a pivotal swing Natasha had taught her and grabbed hold of the machine, lighting it on fire and yanking its head off for good measure.

"You were saying Captain America-?"

Steve stared at her, flabbergasted.

"Actually, why don't you stay out here with the others. I'll go round up the civilians."

….

There was no time for conversation or awkward glances, it was fight or die. Yet, Pepper was surprised at how amazingly good it felt to fight alongside Natasha.

'_This is how it should be, this is how it should always be', _she thought. Then, Pepper remembered Tibet and went back to smashing android heads.

"Hey, Pepper!" Bobbi Morse ran up to her. "Have you seen Steve? We've got a bunch of civvies trapped in a burning building on 24th street."

"Actually, he's right there." Natasha pointed at two figures down the street.

The three women stared at the spectacle in front of them.

"Is he dancing or fighting with that thing?" Bobbi asked in confusion.

"Nevermind about Steve, you two secure the perimeter. I'll...rescue those people."

And with that Pepper was off.

…

"Ma'am, you can't go in there. This building's going to cave in any minute now."

"Like hell I'm not." The firefighter backed away at the sight of Pepper's glowing hands. "How many people are still in the building."

"Umm...just a few kids trapped on the top floor. This place is supposed to be condemned, they must have snuck in."

"Unbelievable," Pepper muttered.

…

Pepper's entrance into the top floor was nowhere near as graceful as she had planned. For one, using a rope and grappling hooks was nowhere as easy as it looked. Two, the window was painted shut.

Instead of trying to open the damn thing, Pepper took a deep breath and threw herself through the glass, falling in an ungraceful pile on the hard, wooden floor.

Three pairs of eyes were watching her, two boys and one girl.

"Are you an Avenger?" the little girl asked. All three of the kids were covered in dirt, probably from running around in the abandoned building.

"Of course, she's not Ceci," one of the boys blurted out. "Girl can't be Avengers."

Pepper crouched down so she was face to face with the kids. "That's not true, I know a girl and she's an amazing Avenger."

The other boy started to cry. "How do we get out of here?" He grabbed ahold of Pepper and wrapped himself around her legs as the building shook around them.

Pepper tried to think quickly. There was no way she would get everyone out through the main entrance, but guiding three kids down a rope before the building collapsed sounded just as impossible.

The whirring of a helicopter interrupted her train of thought.

"Hey Pepper," said a familiar voice from overhead, "heard you needed a lift."

She had never been so happy to hear Natasha's voice in her life and, considering their nights together, that was saying something.

Pepper motioned the children towards the rope ladder. "Come on, we're almost there. Now, who's brave enough to go first."

Ceci was the first one up, followed by the crying boy. Pepper was secretly pleased to see the kid who had picked on Ceci was the last to go in.

"Thank you," she whispered to Natasha as soon as the two of them were settled in the cockpit.

The other woman responded by squeezing Pepper's hand. "Did you really think I was going to let you take off on a reckless mission without me? Come on, let's get these kids home."

…

"All clear, ladies." Steve looked horrible. His costume was a mess and there were even a few chunks of hair missing. "Bruce and I are heading off to Latveria to save Tony. I'm even...uh...talked one of his robots into helping us."

Bobbi and Clint snickered.

Natasha and Pepper just stood and stared at each other as the others walked off.

"Natasha..I don't know what to say, I never-"

"No Pepper, it's me who should -"

'Oh to hell with it," Pepper thought. She grabbed Natasha and kissed her.

Neither of them heard the click of a camera going off.

…

The phone had been ringing in her office non-stop. The picture of Pepper and Natasha was all over the news, under the caption, "Lesbian Superheroes." Pepper had been asked to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show, been nominated for a GLAAD award, and taken calls from conservative stockholders threatening to oust her from the company. It was only eleven in the morning.

"Ms. Potts, you have a visitor," her secretary announced.

"Karen, I already told you, I'm not-oh."

Natasha was barely unrecognizable in her headscarf and sunglasses. "You've got quite a crowd out there."

Pepper groaned. "I'm worried about getting home tonight. So what's up?"

Natasha smiled and settled herself in the seat across from Pepper. "I just got back from a meeting with Fury. He's taking me out of fieldwork and putting me on desk duty."

Pepper's mouth dropped open. "But you're one of the best agents out there, why would he do that?"

"I'm a spy, Pepper. Now my picture's on the front page of every newspaper."

"What about New York?"

Natasha shrugged. "Most of the cameras were focused on Thor's arms, SHIELD clipped me and Clint out of the rest of the footage. This time I wasn't so lucky."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Oh," Natasha grinned, "I was thinking you might want to join me on a little freelance on the side, no more killing, no more death, just helping people. I'll make you a mask this time."

It was the best news Pepper had heard all day. She leaned over the desk and took Natasha's hand in hers. "You have a deal."


End file.
